


Family

by shinysylver



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Armitage Hux Lives, Ben Solo Lives, Birthday Party, Established Relationship, Family, Friendship, Future Fic, Hux makes a friend, M/M, Post-Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Slice of Life, Technology, this is the softest thing i've written for this ship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-12
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:28:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24674626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shinysylver/pseuds/shinysylver
Summary: "Welcome to the family," Ben said wryly."Is that what we're calling it?" Hux raised an eyebrow at Ben, hoping it conveyed his disdain at the very idea that this group of Resistance ruffians could be described as family. Although to be honest a room full of his former mortal enemies was preferable to Brendol.
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 17
Kudos: 68
Collections: write to my heart





	Family

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Write to My Heart shiritori community. I had to start this fic with the phrase "welcome to the family."
> 
> Thanks so much to huxandthehound for comma wrangling. :)

"Welcome to the family," Ben said wryly.

Hux surveyed the room taking in the way Rey, Finn, and Poe all stood too close together talking excitedly about something. Every so often one of them would laugh, throwing their head back and guffawing. It was very undignified, the noise grating on his nerves.

On the other side of the room the Wookiee--Chewbacca, he mentally corrected knowing that Ben hated it when he didn't use the creature's proper name--was standing over some sort of dismantled machine with Rose, both of them poking at it with tools and seeming to communicate in a bizarre mix of Basic and Shryiiwook.

"Is that what we're calling it?" Hux raised an eyebrow at Ben, hoping it conveyed his disdain at the very idea that this group of Resistance ruffians could be described as family. Although to be honest a room full of his former mortal enemies _was_ preferable to Brendol. 

He took a deep breath, bracing himself for the next few hours. It was Rey's birthday--or the day that Poe had declared would be her birthday when he found out she didn't have one--which apparently meant a party was required. Poe had assigned Finn a birthday as well, for a month from now in order to leave plenty of time to "recover from the hangover." 

Hux hadn't dared admit that he couldn't actually remember when his own birthday was since he'd never celebrated it. He wasn't sure if he was more afraid that Poe would insist on giving him one and add him to the birthday rotation or that he wouldn't deem Hux worthy of being celebrated. Both options were equally bad. 

Thankfully Ben didn't expect him to attend all of Poe's parties, but he considered Rey a sister so Hux was obligated to make an appearance this time. If he'd known relationships were so annoying he might have rethought his decision to forgive Ben in the first place. 

"No you wouldn't have," Ben murmured, his breath hot against Hux's ear. 

"Stop reading my mind," Hux snapped. 

"I will if you stop thinking so loud."

Hux rolled his eyes and pushed Ben toward Rey. "Go give her the gift or whatever it is we're here for."

"What about you?" 

Hux's eyes drifted back toward the wires that Rose was trying to untangle. He wasn't particularly fond of Rose or Chewbacca, but he _did_ want to know what they were looking at. Besides, technology was much more interesting than trying to socialize with arrogant pilots. "I'm going to see what they're working on."

Ben smiled at him, that annoyingly soft smile he got whenever Hux made an effort to be social, and held up the brightly wrapped package he'd brought. "I'll make sure she knows it's from both of us."

Hux nodded once, sharply. He'd pitched in a few credits for the gift and assisted with the wrapping--learning to make a bed with military precision had lent itself surprisingly well to gift wrapping. Ben was trying so hard to create a life for them here with these people that he'd felt obligated to assist. Hux didn't understand why it was so important to Ben--he would have much preferred licking his wounds in the Unknown Regions, but at least agreeing to help the Resistance meant there were fewer bounty hunters after him.

Rose gave him a wary look as he approached, her shoulders stiffening. Ben might call them all family, but Hux was well aware that he and Ben were merely tolerated by everyone except Rey, who was way too forgiving for her own good.

"What are you working on?"

Chewbacca made a low growling sound and walked away to join the droids on the other side of the room. Hux frowned slightly as he watched him leave. Chewbacca barely tolerated their presence, although ignoring them was a step up from roaring at them every time they entered the room. Not that Hux actually cared that the Wookiee didn't want anything to do with them, but Ben did, and for some Force-forsaken reason that mattered to him. 

"It's part of a Final Order hyperdrive," Rose said, drawing his attention back to the wires she was fiddling with. "It's different than the First Order drives I've recovered. You don't know anything about these new couplings do you?"

Hux took a closer look. He'd always enjoyed science and engineering, taking a hands on approach whenever he could. "Ren kept me well out of the loop after the Battle of Crait, and I can guarantee you that he wasn't paying any attention to the Final Order technology at that time."

"Why do you do that?" Rose tilted her head and narrowed her eyes, studying him like he was nearly as fascinating as the new couplings.

"Do what?"

"You call him Ren whenever you talk about the past, but I know you call him Ben now."

"Do I?" Hux asked. He thought back over the conversation and realized that she was right. He shrugged. "I hated Kylo Ren, but I don't hate Ben Solo."

"You realize they are the same person, right?"

Hux suppressed the impulse to roll his eyes. "Of course I do, but it's easier to forgive him if I don't think too closely about the things that he did to me."

"Maybe we should start calling you Armitage then." Rose smirked. "Make it easier to forget all the things you did to us."

Hux groaned. "Please don't. I'd rather you just keep hating me."

Rose laughed, a soft bright sound that thoroughly startled Hux. He'd heard her laugh before, with Finn or Poe, but he'd never been the reason. Something about it made him want to help her and he leaned closer to take a better look at the parts she had spread out. 

"I'm surprised you came tonight," Rose commented as he grabbed a screwdriver and removed the coupling entirely so that he could see it better. 

Hux shrugged and pointed at a small chip embedded in the side of the coupling. "We should see what data is stored on that."

Rose took the coupling and pulled a magnifier out of her pocket, giving it a closer look. "Good idea, but Poe will kill me if I spend Rey's party in my workshop."

"But he doesn't mind you doing your work here?"

"It was a compromise."

Hux glanced over at Ben who was smiling at Rey as she examined the calligraphy set they'd gotten her. "Lot of those going around."

Rose hesitated a moment, before taking a deep breath and blurting out: "Maybe you could help me hack into the chip tomorrow? The encryption is probably based on First Order tech so it would be faster with you there."

Hux didn't really know what a family was supposed to be, but he thought that making friends with someone other than Ben would be a good first step. "Sounds good to me."

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Comments and kudos are much appreciated.
> 
> You can find my social media information in my profile. :D


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